CHARLOTTE — Former Panthers defensive end Jared Allen touched on his time in Carolina during his Hall of Fame speech Saturday, but leaned into his personal life, getting emotional at the end of his speech when talking about his wife and then his two young daughters.
"Through this process, the word legacy has been talked about a lot; the Hall often says they're here to tell my story," Allen said, choking up while wearing his signature cowboy hat and new gold jacket. "Well, I'm here to tell you two, you are my greatest accomplishments. When I get called home to heaven one day, if all they talk about is this gold jacket, my career, then I failed miserably as a father, a husband, and a friend. You two are my legacy. You are both so talented.
"And I cannot wait to see what you decide to conquer this world. So always put Christ first, find your why, dream big dreams, and always pursue greatness in whatever you do."
He named several of his Carolina co-workers, listing Panthers coach Ron Rivera and former teammates Roman Harper and Peanut Tillman among the many he thanked individually.
Allen made a brief mention of his time with the Panthers when he ran through thanking the four teams he played for, slipping in a joke about his ill-fated time with the Chicago as well.
He spent the last 12 games of his career here in 2015 after coming over in a Sept. 28 trade with the Bears, collecting 2.0 sacks and helping the team to a Super Bowl berth in his native Northern California.
"To the organizations, the Panthers, thank you for making the trade and allowing me to finish my career with my hand in the dirt and being able to play in Super Bowl 50 in my hometown," Allen said. "And even though we didn't win, it was a heck of a way to end my career.
"The Bears. Yeah, well, ... When you blow your back out, you only have 5.5 sacks. I don't think they were too happy either."
That line drew a laugh from the crowd on stage in Canton, a crowd that included former Panthers general manager and Hall of Famer Bill Polian. (Allen was quick to follow up and thank the Halas family for his time there, and "I wish you all the best when you guys play, except for the Vikings.")
But Allen spent most of his speech talking about his motivations and the reverence he had for the history of the sport.
"I've only played this game for two reasons, the respect of my peers and the respect of those who came before me," Allen said. "I will never forget the day I got an email from (Hall of Famer) Jack Youngblood telling me that he thought I played the game the right way. That to me is worth more than any All-Pro I've ever gotten.
"In the pursuit of greatness, when you respect something or someone so much that you want to honor that thing or that person by being the best you can possibly be. That's why I had the NFL sack leaders taped up in my locker every season so I could show up to work and physically see greatness and never allow myself to feel like I arrived.
"And I apply this to everything in my life. To my walk with Christ, to my marriage, to being a father. You name it, you've got to have a why."
View photos of defensive end Jared Allen during his 12-year NFL career.
